Wednesday, June 29, 2011

On Behalf of Eyebrow Threaders, The Institute for Justice Goes Up Against The AZ Cosmetology Cartel

The video above is about the Institute for Justice's latest heroic effort to defend small businesses and entrepreneurs against economic protectionism, empower individuals to earn an honest living, and promote economic liberty. Here's a summary:

"Eyebrow threading is a natural and safe method of hair removal that uses a single strand of cotton thread to remove unwanted hair, most commonly from the eyebrows, with no chemicals, dyes, hot wax or sharp objects. But state bureaucrats have decided that threaders cannot practice their trade without first obtaining an unnecessary and expensive government license. The Arizona Board of Cosmetology is now requiring skilled threaders to obtain an aesthetician license, which requires at least 600 hours of classroom instruction—not one hour of which teaches or tests threading—and that can cost over $10,000. But threaders do not need full-blown cosmetology training.

That is why a group of five threaders have filed Gutierrez v. Aune, a lawsuit to vindicate their economic liberty, which is the right to earn an honest living free from unreasonable government regulation. This lawsuit continues the Institute for Justice Arizona Chapter’s ten-year fight to vindicate economic liberty as a fundamental and constitutionally protected right under the Arizona Constitution."

Related: The Arizona Republic newspaper defends the eyebrow threaders' right to earn an honest living in an editorial today titled "Leave Eyebrow-threaders Alone."